Discharge and connecting fitting means



Feb. 10, 1942 W. C. GROENIGER DISCHARGE AND CONNECTING FITTING MEANS Filed Jari. 11, 1940 A- w I III/11111112524912! 2 Sheets-Sheet l A ///IIIIIIIIIIII,.'I/

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iNvENToR William CGroeniger 5 A TORNEY Feb. 10, 1942. w. c. GROENIGER DISCHARGE AND CONNECTINJ FITTING MEANS Filed Jan. 11, 1940 2 Sheets-Shee't 2 Ri v n m e m N m N E R v o N r 6% m .G I m H W Patented Feb. 10, 1942 DISCHARGE AND CONNECTING FITTING MEANS William G. Groeniger, Columbus, Ohio, assi'gnor to John B. Pierce Foundation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application January 11, 1940, Serial No. 313,314

1 Claim.

The invention relates to improved fiush tank discharge and connecting means.

More particularly, the invention is directed to improved fitting means serving dually for affording therethrough the discharge of water or other effluent from a flush tank or equivalent into a toilet bowl or equivalent effluent receiving device and for definitely locating and securely positioning such flush tank or equivalent in supported relation to the toilet bowl or equivalent.

More specifically, the combined discharge and securing fitting means comprises a hollow valve body provided with an inflow opening suitably contoured to serve as the valve seat for a conventional or other approved movable float valve member, the hollow valve body being further provided with one or more flanges or equivalent at its periphery for attachment relative to the walls of the discharge opening of the flush tank and for securement relative to the walls of the inflow opening of the inflow compartment of the toilet bowl or equivalent, combined with mutually spaced elements integral with or otherwise fixed relative to the walls of the hollow valve body, bolt-like member integral with or otherwise secured to such mutually spaced elements arranged to project exteriorly of the walls of the toilet bowl or equivalent, thus disposing of the effective portion of the threading of the bolt or equivalent exteriorly of the path of flow of water or equivalent, attaining efiective tightening at initial installation and adjustment at subsequent stages without disturbance of any gasket or other liquid sealing instrumentalities.

Further features and objects of the invention will be more fully understood from the following detail description and the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of the lower portion of a flush tank and supporting rear portion of a toilet bowl, illustrating an embodiment of my combined fiush tank discharge fitting and securing means. The flush tank shown in this view is of the conventional bottom outlet valve type.

Fig. 2 is a detail vertical sectional view taken on a plane at right angles to that of Fig. 1, the parts being shown on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 3 is a similar central vertical sectional view of another embodiment of the invention, shown applied to a conventional bottom outlet flush tank. Fig. 4 is a detail top plan view of the combined flush tank discharge and securing fitting illustrated in Fi 3.

Fig. 5 is a similar central vertical sectional view of another embodiment of the invention,

applied to a conventional bottom outlet flush tank. Fig. 6 is a detail top plan view of'the combined flush tank discharge and securing fitting illustrated in Fig. 5.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the flush tank I0 is shown of the conventional bottom openingtype, its bottom discharge opening being indicated at Illa. The toilet bowl indicated at II opening at its upper side.

cated at I3, and a rear shelf I4 of the bowl which is substantially uniplanar andof an'area adaptedto receive thereuponthe flanged bottom Illb of the fiush tank I0.

The combined fiush tank discharge and securing fitting, designated generally I5, embodying the present invention, is shown comprising the hollow vertically extending discharge body I6, having an upper end opening Ilia which may be' reduced to receive the vertically extending over flow pipe H.

The fitting I5 is constructed with suitable means for effecting clamped securement relative to the bottom I00 of the fiush tank, as by the provision of a peripherally extending horizontal flange I6b, preferably formed integral with the exterior of the wall of the hollow body I6; such flange is' adapted to engage the inner face of the bottom wall IUc of the flush tank-I0, preferably through the intermediation of an interposed gasket I60, which is desirably of rubber or like water-sealing and elastic attributes adapted for porcelain and the like. The lower portion of the hollow body" I6 is shown provided with exterior threading IBcZ for matingly receiving a clamping ring I8, a metal washer and a gasket I8a of rubber or the like being interposed between the ring I8 and the under face of the bottom wall Illc of the flush tank.

Interposed between the lower face of the clamping ring I8 and the upper face of the peripheral wall of the bowl inlet opening I3 is a gasket I8b of rubber or the like. Such gasket I8?) is preferably of angular formation, a right angle being illustrated, the lower face of the clamping ring I8 being cut away of corresponding angular formation.

securement of the discharge valve body It relative to the rear shelf of the toilet bowl may be had by variant arrangement. In Figs. 1 and 2, the securement is shown by the provision of the diametrically extending bar l9, which may be cast or otherwise formed integral at its opposite ends with the opposite walls of the hollow body l6, and provided with a central perforation l9a through which extends a bolt 20, the head 20a of which is non-rotatably received within the recess l9b having a general configuration corresponding to the configuration of the bolt head 20a. The threaded end of the bolt 20 passes through a perforation |2a in the lower wall of the inlet water compartment [2; a flanged annular cylindrical gasket 2| is shown applied about the threaded end of the bolt 20 to pro:- ject within the bottom opening 12a, and sealingly locked by means of a nut 22; preferably with an interposed washer 23 of metal or the like.

As appears more clearly from Fig. 2, the hollow body I6 is provided with a laterally extending.

opening 24, and is preferably contoured as ind cated at 24a on the arc of a sphere, adapted to function as the valve seat for a spherical movable valve 25, operated and functioning pursuant to the disclosure set forth and claimed in my copending application Serial No. 262,669, filed March 18, 1939, entitled Flush valve, now Patent No. 2,229,887, granted January 28, 1941.

The embodiment shown in Figs. 3 and 4 also adapted for a conventional flush tank, corresponds generally to that illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. The embodiment illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 comprises, in particular, bars 26, mutually spaced and extending downwardly relative to the lower edge of the hollow valve body [5, meeting at a common central part 26a, from which extends downwardly a. bolt-like part 21, the lower end portion 21a of which is shown provided with a threading and sealingly secured in position through the opening I2a of the bowl water inlet compartment I2, as above set forth.

The type of combined tank discharge and securing fitting illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 is applicable for the conventional ball valve member, its upper end opening being suitably contoured, as indicated at lBe, to serve as a valve seat for such conventional ball valve member. The overflow pipe connected at one side of the fitting, is indicated at 28, its bottom wall being connected to, and preferably integral with, a lateral wall of the hollow body l6, communication between the overflow pipe and the hollow'body IB being afforded by the laterally extending channel 29, having an opening 29a.

The embodiment typified in Figs. 5 and 6001- responds generally to that of Figs. 3 and .4, but is specific to providing the common centralpart 26a with a recess having a lower opening 30 for receiving a headed bolt 3!, its head 31a being variant embodiments aiford dual objectives,

namely a highly reliable mechanical interconnection between the flush tank and the bowl, insuring maintenance of the support of the flush tank upon the top of the rear of the bowl, and the discharge of the flushing water from the tank through the fitting into the inlet compartment or equivalent of. a toilet bowl.

Special advantages are attained by the structures afforded by the invention, in that the effective portion of the threading of the threaded member such as a bolt or equivalent is disposed wholly out of the path of the Water or other effluent and thus protected from erosion, sedimentation, or other deterioration by water or other efiluent; further, the proper tightening of the fitting means at initial installation and at subsequent adjustment is attained by themovement of a nut or equivalent, without disturbance of any liquid-sealing gasket or packing.

Whereas, I have described my invention by reference to specific forms thereof, it will be understood that many changes and modifications may be. made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

A combined discharge and connecting fitting for securing a flush tank to the top of a toilet: bowl, both of which have registering openings for the flow of fluid for flushing the toilet bowl, comprising a hollow memberpassing through said registering openings, 'a valve associated with the upper part of said tubular member disposed in the flush tank, said upper part having an exterior flange disposed within the flush tank, an exterior thread adjacent said flange for receiving a nut. for securing said tubular'member to the wall of the opening in the flush tank, a downwardlyextending spider element secured to and within said tubular member, and a solid'bolt connectionbetween the central portion of said spider element and a part of the toilet bowl, the bolt nut and the therewith engaged bolt threadsbeing.

disposed exteriorly of the toilet bowl and away from the path of flow of the flushing fluid, whereby corrosion of said exterior threading and of the bolt threads and nut is prevented. 7

WILLIAM C. GROENIGERr 

